Click to watch the YouTube trailer below.
Some photos from the new movie
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince Trailer is out!
The first trailer of the new Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince movie is finally out! The movie is premiering in theaters on November 21, 2008.
Click to watch the YouTube trailer below.
Some photos from the new movie
Click to watch the YouTube trailer below.
Some photos from the new movie
LPG Car of the future?
To keep up with soaring fuel prices, experts bloggers are generating new ideas about future cars. Installing a larger than life LPG cylinder in your car like the picture below could last for a month or more on a single fill, and might help keep off tailing cars.
A word of caution: Mind the curves!
A word of caution: Mind the curves!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Cuil - the next Google killer?
Cuil (pronounced ‘COOL’) is a new search engine startup created by Google's former top engineers. Cuil claims that it can index web pages significantly faster and cheaper than Google. Cuil has told potential investors that their indexing costs will be 1/10th of Google’s, based on new search architectures and relevance methods.
A look at cuil.com start page below brings to mind Google’s minimalist home page.
I searched for "Thailand" which returned 92,925,481 results (not bad for a startup which is only a few hours old) as against Google's 306,000,000 which seems to good a number to be ending in that many zeros. The search results for Thailand looked like the picture below:
The search results are shown in three columns and contain an image and more summary text than existing search engines. Along with the results there is an "Explore by Category" box on the top right corner of the page which breaks down into categories like "Cities In Thailand", "Islands Of Thailand", "Districts Of Bangkok", "Regions Of Thailand", and "LPGA Tour Golfers". Each of these categories consists of links (such as "Phi Phi Islands") that displays more specific results.
Cuil is already being touted in the blogosphere as the next 'Google killer'. But unless Cuil can develop an advertisement platform to rival Google’s, Cuil will have a tough time challenging the search giant.
Cuil launched publicly on 28th July, 2008 but then crashed immediately after launch owing it to "overwhelming demand." It is back in business now busy serving pages.
Cuil is pioneering a new approach to search, unveiling its innovative search offering, which combines the biggest Web index with content-based relevance methods, results organized by ideas, and complete user privacy. Cuil was founded by several lead engineers from Google, including Anna Patterson, chief architect of the company’s TeraGoogle search index. Cuil claims its search algorithm scans through 120 billion web pages - three times the number that Google sifts through. Cuil also claims to have better search results than Google and others based on how they index websites. They do not simply catalog keywords on a site and then rank the site based on its importance. They also work to understand how words are related, to return more relevant results to users.
Summary of Cuil’s features:
Let's wait and watch.
A look at cuil.com start page below brings to mind Google’s minimalist home page.
I searched for "Thailand" which returned 92,925,481 results (not bad for a startup which is only a few hours old) as against Google's 306,000,000 which seems to good a number to be ending in that many zeros. The search results for Thailand looked like the picture below:
The search results are shown in three columns and contain an image and more summary text than existing search engines. Along with the results there is an "Explore by Category" box on the top right corner of the page which breaks down into categories like "Cities In Thailand", "Islands Of Thailand", "Districts Of Bangkok", "Regions Of Thailand", and "LPGA Tour Golfers". Each of these categories consists of links (such as "Phi Phi Islands") that displays more specific results.
Cuil is already being touted in the blogosphere as the next 'Google killer'. But unless Cuil can develop an advertisement platform to rival Google’s, Cuil will have a tough time challenging the search giant.
Cuil launched publicly on 28th July, 2008 but then crashed immediately after launch owing it to "overwhelming demand." It is back in business now busy serving pages.
Cuil is pioneering a new approach to search, unveiling its innovative search offering, which combines the biggest Web index with content-based relevance methods, results organized by ideas, and complete user privacy. Cuil was founded by several lead engineers from Google, including Anna Patterson, chief architect of the company’s TeraGoogle search index. Cuil claims its search algorithm scans through 120 billion web pages - three times the number that Google sifts through. Cuil also claims to have better search results than Google and others based on how they index websites. They do not simply catalog keywords on a site and then rank the site based on its importance. They also work to understand how words are related, to return more relevant results to users.
Summary of Cuil’s features:
- Biggest Internet search engine - Cuil has indexed 120 billion Web pages, 3x more than any other search engine
- Organized results - Cuil’s magazine-style layout separates results by subject and allows further search by concept or category
- Different results - Unlike other search engines, Cuil ranks results by the content on each page, not its popularity
- Complete privacy protection - Cuil does not keep any personally identifiable information on users or their search histories
Let's wait and watch.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Ice cream wrapper stuck in the elevator
Yesterday morning I got into the elevator at The Mall department store and found a Walls chocolate ice cream wrapper stuck in the elevator. Not sure who did that, must have been some naughty kid who could not resist the temptation of the ice cream so decided to lick it right in the elevator, then somehow managed to stick the wrapper near the lift's door into the gap in the metal.
I got into the empty lift on the 4th floor and was heading for the 1st floor when on the way an old Thai couple got into the lift, so I pointed at the wrapper to get their attention, and they just could not stop laughing. I hope that they did not assume it was me who stuck it in there, ha ha ha.
Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon
Just stumbled upon this video called Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon in YouTube. Watch out for the hairy faced guy in the video.
Also found another rare song by the same artist called Roll With the Punches - Warren Zevon. This song was featured on an episode of Tales from the Crypt known as "King of the Road".
Just found out that Warren William Zevon was a Grammy Award-winning American rock singer-songwriter and musician. He was noted for his offbeat, sardonic view of life which was reflected in his dark, sometimes humorous songs, which often incorporated political or historical themes. Warren Zevon died on September 7, 2003, aged 56, from mesothelioma (a form of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos, and also the same cancer that killed Steve McQueen). His last album released was The Wind, which included guest appearances by close friends including Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh, David Lindley, Billy Bob Thornton, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, and others.
Also found another rare song by the same artist called Roll With the Punches - Warren Zevon. This song was featured on an episode of Tales from the Crypt known as "King of the Road".
Just found out that Warren William Zevon was a Grammy Award-winning American rock singer-songwriter and musician. He was noted for his offbeat, sardonic view of life which was reflected in his dark, sometimes humorous songs, which often incorporated political or historical themes. Warren Zevon died on September 7, 2003, aged 56, from mesothelioma (a form of cancer associated with exposure to asbestos, and also the same cancer that killed Steve McQueen). His last album released was The Wind, which included guest appearances by close friends including Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh, David Lindley, Billy Bob Thornton, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, and others.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Don't Drive While Sleepy Campaign Sticker
This is a picture of Thai Health Promotion Foundation's media campaign sticker to prevent traffic accidents. It says "ตั้งสติก่อนสตาร์ท ง่วงไม่ขับ" in Thai which means "Compose yourself before you start, don't drive when sleepy".
On 20th June 2007, Sornram Theppitak, a famous Thai actor killed a garbage collector in a car crash in Bangkok. He was driving a black BMW 525i and crashed into Pitploen Takoanma, a 59 year old woman near a telephone booth in Lad Prao district at 11 pm. The actor who had not consumed any alcohol that night had some minor facial injuries and a witness said the actor claimed he had dozed off at the wheel.
Traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of death in Thailand. In 2002 every tenth citizen of Thailand was injured in traffic. According to an ADB-ASEAN report released in March 2004, the average economic cost of death caused by one traffic accident is about 2.85 million Baht. In addition, there is also the inestimable psychological damage caused. The Thai government is highly concerned about its road crash problem which costs the country nearly 2.1 % of GDP. The Thailand Road Safety Master Plan identified the need for establishing an accident research center as a priority in its long-term action plan. The idea became a reality with the establishment of Thailand Accident Research Center (TARC) in 2003. This is the national center for collecting scientific information about the road crash. It conducts accident investigation and reconstruction, road safety audit, research studies both on primary and secondary accident data. The ‘Thailand Road Safety Action Plan 2004-2008’ agreed by cabinet currently guides road safety interventions in Thailand.
According to official statistics (police), 12,858 people were killed in road crashes in 2005. However the real number might even be higher. According to documentation from the health sector, the real death toll could be 20,000 or higher if victims who die after being removed from the crash scene are included.
The primary causes of road crashes are the dangerous mix of motorcyclists and larger vehicles, alcohol impaired driving, and excessive speed. Many road deaths happen during the two national holidays periods: New Year (6 days) December/January and Songkran (9 days) in April. It is estimated that 3 people died per hour during these 2 festivals.
In 2005 the road fatality rate were 20.6/105 population and 5.09/104 vehicles. The fatality rate has decreased by 23% over the last decade from 1995 to 2005 (16,727 to 12,858) and by 11% just the last two years from 2003 to 2005 (14,446 to 12,858) showing that the increased effort from all sectors has been proven effective.
According to Thailand’s crash records, the main features of Thailand’s road crash and injury problems are:
On 20th June 2007, Sornram Theppitak, a famous Thai actor killed a garbage collector in a car crash in Bangkok. He was driving a black BMW 525i and crashed into Pitploen Takoanma, a 59 year old woman near a telephone booth in Lad Prao district at 11 pm. The actor who had not consumed any alcohol that night had some minor facial injuries and a witness said the actor claimed he had dozed off at the wheel.
Traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of death in Thailand. In 2002 every tenth citizen of Thailand was injured in traffic. According to an ADB-ASEAN report released in March 2004, the average economic cost of death caused by one traffic accident is about 2.85 million Baht. In addition, there is also the inestimable psychological damage caused. The Thai government is highly concerned about its road crash problem which costs the country nearly 2.1 % of GDP. The Thailand Road Safety Master Plan identified the need for establishing an accident research center as a priority in its long-term action plan. The idea became a reality with the establishment of Thailand Accident Research Center (TARC) in 2003. This is the national center for collecting scientific information about the road crash. It conducts accident investigation and reconstruction, road safety audit, research studies both on primary and secondary accident data. The ‘Thailand Road Safety Action Plan 2004-2008’ agreed by cabinet currently guides road safety interventions in Thailand.
According to official statistics (police), 12,858 people were killed in road crashes in 2005. However the real number might even be higher. According to documentation from the health sector, the real death toll could be 20,000 or higher if victims who die after being removed from the crash scene are included.
The primary causes of road crashes are the dangerous mix of motorcyclists and larger vehicles, alcohol impaired driving, and excessive speed. Many road deaths happen during the two national holidays periods: New Year (6 days) December/January and Songkran (9 days) in April. It is estimated that 3 people died per hour during these 2 festivals.
In 2005 the road fatality rate were 20.6/105 population and 5.09/104 vehicles. The fatality rate has decreased by 23% over the last decade from 1995 to 2005 (16,727 to 12,858) and by 11% just the last two years from 2003 to 2005 (14,446 to 12,858) showing that the increased effort from all sectors has been proven effective.
According to Thailand’s crash records, the main features of Thailand’s road crash and injury problems are:
- The working adult age group (25-59 years) represents the majority of those dying in road crashes (over 50%) followed by young people aged 15-24 years who account for 29% of the total fatalities.
- Many deaths occur during 2 holiday periods, New Year and Songkran.
- 45% of deaths in 2004 occurred on the national highways, half of them involving motorcycles
- 44% of the total number of road crash injuries in Thailand occur in Bangkok compared with only 6% of the country’s fatalities
- In average less than 17% of all injured used seat belts and less than 15% used crash helmets. Numbers are higher in Bangkok where enforcement is stricter
- Of all injuries: 75% are male
- The Police identified excessive speed as the most common cause of crashes followed by unsafe passing and illegal overtaking
- In Khon Kaen Province (Northern Thailand), 81 % of total injured patients admitted to hospitals in 2002 were motorcycle injury victims. It is believed that this is likely to reflect the situation in other provinces too
- Hospital data indicates that over half of injured drivers and riders had been drinking alcohol
Toys R Us at Bangkok Central World, a children's paradise
Last week I happened to visit Esplanade shopping mall on Ratchada and found a large Toys R Us booth at the ground floor with some nice quality toys up for sale. Being a "flagship guy", I decided to check out their flagship store yesterday, so I stepped into the large Toys R Us (ทอยส์ "อาร์" อัส) store on the 6th floor of Central World. At the entrance to the store there is a huge Geoffrey the Giraffe smiling at you with a traditional "Thai Wai". The moment I entered the store I felt like I got into a fantasy world which reminded me of my days when I was a kid. I saw colored balloons, action-hero characters, Star Wars & Masked Rider characters, teddy bears, Barbie dolls, Dress-up Sets, Role Play items, Playhouses, board games like Scrabble and Monopoly, toy guns, Rubik's Cube, DVDs, XBox, Game Boy, PlayStation, electronics gadgets, and lots of other cool stuff. It's not just a place for kids, since as an adult I found the place really amusing, as I love to spend time with electronic gadgets!They have a digital clock that is set on a count down to July 26, 2008, and after some googling that evening I found out that on this date more than 225 of those stores will open at midnight to sell toys from the latest Star Wars film, The Clone Wars which is the first fully animated Star Wars movie that hits cinemas in the United States on August 15. Two of the retailer's flagship outlets, one in San Diego's Mission Bay and the other in New York's Times Square, will hold costume and trivia contests that night as well, and will give away limited-edition Star Wars toys with every purchase. Even McDonald's is getting involved, with its first ever Happy Meal promotion for a Star Wars movie, called the "Clone Wars Happy Meals". Each will come with a specially designed box and one of 18 exclusive toys.
Children can be totally overwhelmed by the sheer variety of the toys at the store. The store greets visitors with a colored store map that gives the kids some idea on what to find and where to go. The map uses different colors to show the various zones of the store. The blue color is for the boys looking for guns or Star Wars stuff, pink color for the girls looking for Barbie dolls, and purple for adults wanting to check out PlayStation game consoles and other electronic gadgets. They have 8 major zones which are Hot & In Toys, Girl Toys, Boy Toys, Educational Toys, Sport and Outdoor, Baby Toys, Electronic Gaming and Family Fun & Games. The store uses a 'Boutique Zoning' concept which displays most products on eye-level shelves, instead of the hypermarket style display from floor to ceiling.
Some facts About Toys"R"Us
Toys R Us is a leading international retailer of toys and baby products founded in 1948 in Washington D.C by Charles Lazarus during the post war boom era as a baby furniture retailer, then known as Children's Supermarket. Toys R Us has 1256 retail stores in 36 countries worldwide, including 586 locations in the United States alone. Outside of the US, Toys "R" Us, Inc. operates, licenses or franchises approximately 670 stores in 35 countries under the Toys"R"Us name. Babies "R" Us comes under the umbrella of Toys "R" Us, a thorough baby world dealing with baby products and leads the juvenile industry. The glass-enclosed flagship store in New York City's Times Square is the largest toy store in the world at 110,000-square foot, featuring a colorful 60-foot tall indoor Ferris Wheel offering customers panoramic views of the stuffed toys, action figures, dolls, science kits and electronic games available on three floors. They are also Britain's biggest toy megastore.
Interestingly, their stores in Bangkok have a low price guarantee which states that if you find the same Toys R Us toy or product being sold elsewhere at a lower price, you can bring them your original Toys R Us receipt within 7 days and they will gladly refund the difference. They also have a free gift wrap service for any purchase at a Toys R Us store.
Toys R Us Store Locations around Bangkok are listed below:
Bangna Store:
Level 6, Central City Bangna, Bangkok.
Rama IV Store:
G level, Carrefour Rama IV Road, Bangkok.
Lad Prao Store:
Carrefour Lad Prao, 2nd floor.
Central World Store:
Central World, 6th floor.
Toys R Us Fashion Island Store (opened recently):
Fashion Island, 3rd floor.
Toys R Us Central Festival Pattaya:
Central Court, 1st floor, Pattaya.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Top Thai lakorn on YouTube is dubbed in Khmer!
One of the most popular Thai lakorn (TV series) videos on YouTube right now (2008) is Ptay Snaeh and the interesting part is that it is dubbed in Khmer! Watching this Thai lakorn in Khmer language was really amusing. I can't understand a word it says, except for the title song at the beginning which is in Thai. This TV series is titled Ptay Snaeh in Khmer and was originally broadcast on Thai TV Channel 3 from October 22 to December 2, 2006 with the Thai title เทใจรัก นักวางแผน (Tae Jai Rak Nuck Wang Phan).
With the current border dispute at the Preah Vihear temple area that led to a military face-off between Thailand and Cambodia, I wonder if this is in any way going to affect the popularity of Thai lakorns in Cambodia.
The picture below is the Thai poster of the lakorn
Click below to watch the YouTube video of the Khmer dubbed version
Click below to watch the same YouTube video but in the original Thai version
There are lots of other episodes in both languages on YouTube if you'd like to watch them.
With the current border dispute at the Preah Vihear temple area that led to a military face-off between Thailand and Cambodia, I wonder if this is in any way going to affect the popularity of Thai lakorns in Cambodia.
The picture below is the Thai poster of the lakorn
Click below to watch the YouTube video of the Khmer dubbed version
Click below to watch the same YouTube video but in the original Thai version
There are lots of other episodes in both languages on YouTube if you'd like to watch them.
Thailand Pet Expo 2008
Pet Expo Thailand 2008 takes place at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, Hall C2, Plaza, Zone C, from 31 July to 3 August, 2008 from 10 am to 8 pm. This 4 day event is going to be Thailand’s largest pet fair with full range of products and services in the pet industry.
This is good news for pet lovers as this event is going to be another dog show after the International Dog Show 2008 which was held recently during June 26-29, 2008 at IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center, Muang Thong Thani.
Exhibit Profile
Pet Food and Supplies, Pet Health Care products, accessories and other related products.
Objectives
6,000 sq.m.
Admission
Open for trade & public
This Year's Show Highlight - World Creative Color For Dogs
Starwood Arts Of Dog Grooming School, an international dog grooming school in Thailand is honored to present a grand & creative fancy dress show called "World Creative Color for Dogs". Starwood had presented a show in Pet Fashion Week, New York, at the Metropolitan Pavilion between 18 - 19 August, 2007. Khun Sathit Suratpipit (Khun Ja) from Starwood Grooming Center said that Starwood has joined hands with a dog's apparel line maker Puppe, accessories maker Okane, and a safe colored hair dye for pets Pet Esthé by Prima Dog. This extravagant pet fancy dress show will be held during the event on 2 August at center stage.
The photo below features Starwood from the Pet Fashion Week, New York in August 2007
Facts & figures
Number of Exhibitors in 2007 - 96 Companies / 193 Booths
Number of Visitors in 2007 - 80,000
Participating Countries in 2007 - Thailand and other Asian countries
Estimated number of Exhibitors in 2008 - 140 Companies / 240 Booths
Estimated number of Visitors in 2008 - 100,000
Participating Countries in 2008 - Thailand and other Asian countries
Organizer Details
N.C.C.Exhibition Organizer Co.,Ltd.
Queen Sirikit National Convention Center
60, New Rachadapisek Road, Klongtoey,
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel : 02-2034231-6
Fax : 02-2034250-1
Email : petexpo@qsncc.co.th
URL: http://www.petexpothailand.net
Special Promotions will be offered by participating brands that include:
This is good news for pet lovers as this event is going to be another dog show after the International Dog Show 2008 which was held recently during June 26-29, 2008 at IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center, Muang Thong Thani.
Exhibit Profile
Pet Food and Supplies, Pet Health Care products, accessories and other related products.
Objectives
- To encourage and support the current fast growing trend of the pet industry
- To be a marketing channel for pet-product companies
- To be the country’s best pet competition event
6,000 sq.m.
Admission
Open for trade & public
This Year's Show Highlight - World Creative Color For Dogs
Starwood Arts Of Dog Grooming School, an international dog grooming school in Thailand is honored to present a grand & creative fancy dress show called "World Creative Color for Dogs". Starwood had presented a show in Pet Fashion Week, New York, at the Metropolitan Pavilion between 18 - 19 August, 2007. Khun Sathit Suratpipit (Khun Ja) from Starwood Grooming Center said that Starwood has joined hands with a dog's apparel line maker Puppe, accessories maker Okane, and a safe colored hair dye for pets Pet Esthé by Prima Dog. This extravagant pet fancy dress show will be held during the event on 2 August at center stage.
The photo below features Starwood from the Pet Fashion Week, New York in August 2007
Facts & figures
Number of Exhibitors in 2007 - 96 Companies / 193 Booths
Number of Visitors in 2007 - 80,000
Participating Countries in 2007 - Thailand and other Asian countries
Estimated number of Exhibitors in 2008 - 140 Companies / 240 Booths
Estimated number of Visitors in 2008 - 100,000
Participating Countries in 2008 - Thailand and other Asian countries
Organizer Details
N.C.C.Exhibition Organizer Co.,Ltd.
Queen Sirikit National Convention Center
60, New Rachadapisek Road, Klongtoey,
Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Tel : 02-2034231-6
Fax : 02-2034250-1
Email : petexpo@qsncc.co.th
URL: http://www.petexpothailand.net
Special Promotions will be offered by participating brands that include:
- PEDIGREE
- WISKAS
- THAI - GERMAN
- SMARTHEART
- SESAR
- JERHIGH
- DOG FRIEND
- D - NA PET
- DOGAPET
- PRISM
- PETME
- CIPLA , VETEX
- DOG 'N JOY
- D - DOX
- CHITOCURE
- TRESOR
- CADINA
- PRO PAC
- BUZZ
- EUKANUBA
- MIGCO
- OSTECH
- KONGTHAWORN
- HAGEN
- DR.MERGE
- ROYAL CANIN
- BUTTER
- BIO - GROOM
- NUTRO
- THE COAT HANDLER
- SNACK MANIA
- BEARING
- D B PET
- YOUR PET MAGAZINE
- PET IN CAR
- CANIDAE
- KAWAI DOG
- IRIS OHYAMA
- SPETS
- DOLLAR DOG PRODUCT
- HAPPINESS
- SLEEKY
- HILL' S SCIENCE DIET
- PUPPE'
- EURO. PREMIUM
- MAHJEB DOG GOODS SHOP
- DOG - LINK
- DOG FEVER
- TUNDER
- PETTO KAWAII
- PET'S SOCIETY
- PETCHICCLUB
- BUXAWAY
Naked models parading the Flower Carnival in Bangkok
The Nai Lert Park Hotel Bangkok's Annual Fair 2008 to be held between August 22 and 24, is taking a more colorful & fun-filled approach this year, by calling itself the Flower Carnival.
The event organisers got their advertising act together by parading naked models covered only with colorful orchids (seen in the photo below).
The hotel will turn its four-and-a-half rai of private park into a permanent orchid garden, featuring more than 250 species.
Orchid expert Rapee Sagarik will be setting up the garden, worth around 40 million Baht.
The brainchild of Thanphuying Lursakdi Sampatisiri, an ardent plant and flower lover and the honorary Hotel chairperson, says the event has grown from "just a flower show" into a public and social affair. It raises 38 million Baht for charities. This year the money is going to the Kidney Foundation of Thailand.
Participants this year include leading flower arrangers and top business people. Other activities include flower-arrangement demonstrations, celebrity fashion shows, a superstar concert, an afternoon tea concert with Jennifer Kim and friends, cooking demonstrations, a photography event, a shop-till-you-drop bazaar and a plant market. There will also be a special demonstration of sogetsu floral arrangements by Madame Kako of Japan.
Below are pictures of the models doing the floral parade taken from DailyXPRESS
The event organisers got their advertising act together by parading naked models covered only with colorful orchids (seen in the photo below).
The hotel will turn its four-and-a-half rai of private park into a permanent orchid garden, featuring more than 250 species.
Orchid expert Rapee Sagarik will be setting up the garden, worth around 40 million Baht.
The brainchild of Thanphuying Lursakdi Sampatisiri, an ardent plant and flower lover and the honorary Hotel chairperson, says the event has grown from "just a flower show" into a public and social affair. It raises 38 million Baht for charities. This year the money is going to the Kidney Foundation of Thailand.
Participants this year include leading flower arrangers and top business people. Other activities include flower-arrangement demonstrations, celebrity fashion shows, a superstar concert, an afternoon tea concert with Jennifer Kim and friends, cooking demonstrations, a photography event, a shop-till-you-drop bazaar and a plant market. There will also be a special demonstration of sogetsu floral arrangements by Madame Kako of Japan.
Below are pictures of the models doing the floral parade taken from DailyXPRESS
Thursday, July 24, 2008
African Diamond worth 315 million Baht stolen
The Nation reports that a team of conmen today made off with one of the two uncut 2,100 carat African diamond worth 315 million Thai Baht after introducing themselves as aides to a politician.
The photo below is taken from the other diamond that wasn't stolen.
Manager Online reports that one of the men wore a black suit and a red neck-tie and the other man wore a yellow shirt and navy blue trousers.
The stolen diamond from Africa weighs about 420 grams or 2,100 carats.
"A man suddenly ran away with the diamond just as we were discussing a purchase deal," Rinlapas Poonyajirapat said yesterday. "Then he jumped on a waiting motorcycle and sped away."
58 year old Rinlapas runs a recruitment agency but also doubles up as a diamond agent.
The diamond's rightful owner, 71-year-old Mr. Chakraphan Pramuansuk, was also present at the scene. He had bought two diamonds from Africa for 500,000 Baht about 15 years ago.
The photo below is taken from the other diamond that wasn't stolen.
Manager Online reports that one of the men wore a black suit and a red neck-tie and the other man wore a yellow shirt and navy blue trousers.
The stolen diamond from Africa weighs about 420 grams or 2,100 carats.
"A man suddenly ran away with the diamond just as we were discussing a purchase deal," Rinlapas Poonyajirapat said yesterday. "Then he jumped on a waiting motorcycle and sped away."
58 year old Rinlapas runs a recruitment agency but also doubles up as a diamond agent.
The diamond's rightful owner, 71-year-old Mr. Chakraphan Pramuansuk, was also present at the scene. He had bought two diamonds from Africa for 500,000 Baht about 15 years ago.
Tattoo removal a growing trend among women
What is considered art and chic could one day turn into a mess as laser tattoo removal is a growing trend these days.
A new study has found that women are more likely than men to have second thoughts about their tattoo and visit dermatology clinics for tattoo removal. The study was published in the journal Archives of Dermatology.
Tattoos are a part of the culture in the US, as around 25% of Americans aged 18 to 30 have a tattoo somewhere on their body.
For the study, researchers led by Myrna Armstong of Texas Tech University went to tattoo removal clinics in Colorado, Massachusetts, Arizona, and Texas.
At these clinics they found that 2/3 of those who were getting a tattoo erased were women.
The reasons for women wanting to remove their tattoos included social stigma associated with body art, negative comments and embarrassment. Many were also unhappy that they could not cover it with appropriate clothing.
In the next few years, the number of people aged 18 to 30 with tattoos is expected to jump to 40%, and with that the number of women wanting them removed may increase.
Most women stated that they were happy with their tattoo when they first got them inked, but reported changes in their feelings over the following 1 to 5 years.
About 1/5 of tattoo wearers are estimated to be dissatisfied with their tattoo, although only about 6 percent seek removal.
The main reasons listed for seeking tattoo removal included the following:
(Getty Images)
A new study has found that women are more likely than men to have second thoughts about their tattoo and visit dermatology clinics for tattoo removal. The study was published in the journal Archives of Dermatology.
Tattoos are a part of the culture in the US, as around 25% of Americans aged 18 to 30 have a tattoo somewhere on their body.
For the study, researchers led by Myrna Armstong of Texas Tech University went to tattoo removal clinics in Colorado, Massachusetts, Arizona, and Texas.
At these clinics they found that 2/3 of those who were getting a tattoo erased were women.
The reasons for women wanting to remove their tattoos included social stigma associated with body art, negative comments and embarrassment. Many were also unhappy that they could not cover it with appropriate clothing.
In the next few years, the number of people aged 18 to 30 with tattoos is expected to jump to 40%, and with that the number of women wanting them removed may increase.
Most women stated that they were happy with their tattoo when they first got them inked, but reported changes in their feelings over the following 1 to 5 years.
About 1/5 of tattoo wearers are estimated to be dissatisfied with their tattoo, although only about 6 percent seek removal.
The main reasons listed for seeking tattoo removal included the following:
- Just deciding to remove it (58 percent)
- Suffering embarrassment (57 percent)
- Lowering of body image (38 percent)
- Getting a new job or career (38 percent)
- Having problems with clothes (37 percent)
- Experiencing stigma or marking an occasion such as a birthday (25 percent)
- Marriage or newly found independence (21 percent)
(Getty Images)
Friday, July 18, 2008
Top 100 English Blogs in Thailand, I'm on!
My blog is featured in the Top 100 Thailand Blogs compiled by The Lost Boy, a blogger based in Phuket, Thailand. HaPPi like a HiPPo is currently ranked 59th in the list, which has grown upto 155 entries as of now. You can take a look at the list and vote for the Thailand blogs you like, but please don't forget to vote for my blog (listed as HaPPi Like a HiPPo) if you liked it, thanks in advance!
Kudos to Matt, The Lost Boy, as he has spent a long time compiling this list, searching for active Thailand blogs, and introduced the list on April 26, 2008. Most of the blogs are in English, although some of them are in French. An explanation of how the list was compiled is here, which is based on a combination of Google's Page Rank, Alexa rank, Technorati rank and user voting system.
The Top 10 blogs currently listed are:
Kudos to Matt, The Lost Boy, as he has spent a long time compiling this list, searching for active Thailand blogs, and introduced the list on April 26, 2008. Most of the blogs are in English, although some of them are in French. An explanation of how the list was compiled is here, which is based on a combination of Google's Page Rank, Alexa rank, Technorati rank and user voting system.
The Top 10 blogs currently listed are:
- New Mandala
- 2Bangkok
- Thailand Land of Smiles
- Thailand Blogs
- The FARANG Speaks 2 Much
- Bangkok Pundit
- Wise Kwais Thai Films
- Bangkok Metblogs
- Bisean
- Absolutely Bangkok
One-Two-Go Airlines could be the one to stop?
The Thai low cost carrier One-Two-Go Airlines is taking a long, hard look at the possibility of ceasing the budget carrier's flight operations in a damage-control exercise at a time of skyrocketing fuel prices and declining traffic demand.
Founder Udom Tantiprasongchai told the Bangkok Post that he was seriously pondering whether to ground One-Two-Go "temporarily" on mounting cost pressures and poor business outlook.
One-Two-Go is one of the three no-frills carriers in Thailand, all of which are struggling with fuel prices that have doubled in the past year to more than US$170 a barrel.
Nok Airlines, 39% owned by Thai Airways International, has been bleeding money but won a reprieve from shareholders to continue flying after the management committed to a rehabilitation package. This included lopping services, halving the fleet and cutting senior staff salaries. The carrier hopes to return to a break-even point over the next six months then turn a profit.
Meanwhile, Thai AirAsia is forgoing profit to keep seats filled. While it could be in the red again this year, chief executive Tassapon Bijleveld says he hopes its losses will be less than those of last year.
Udom's plans to suspend One-Two-Go was also influenced by a sense of betrayal from his two rivals, who a few weeks ago agreed to adopt a survival package but failed to follow through, says the Bangkok Post. It had been agreed that the trio would avoid price-cutting while increasing fuel surcharges, raising fares, cutting capacity and dropping low-traffic routes.
Udom said domestic fares needed to go up by 30%, and fuel surcharges would need to increase to better reflect prices. ''In this kind of environment, anyone can go (bust) any time,'' he said.
One-Two-Go has cut frequencies on several routes, with Bangkok-Chiang Mai and Bangkok-Phuket flights down to 21 a week from 28, Bangkok-Hat Yai halved to 7 a week, and services to Chiang Rai and Nakhon Si Thammarat cut from 7 to 2 a week.
While not ruling out retrenchments, Udom said he was considering the futures of the carrier's 700 employees in the case of a shutdown. Their options could include severance pay, leave without pay or training courses.
But he said the closure of One-Two-Go, which started flying in December 2003, might not be permanent. ''If the situation improves... we could be airborne again''.
Udom insisted that the parent carrier, Orient Thai Airlines, would keep flying, with chartered services and scheduled flights to Hong Kong and Incheon.
Orient Thai this year branched out into the freight arena by setting up Thailand's first dedicated cargo carrier, Orient Thai Cargo, using two used Boeing 747-200 acquired from Japan Airlines. It has also wet leased an aircraft to Sri Lankan.
Founder Udom Tantiprasongchai told the Bangkok Post that he was seriously pondering whether to ground One-Two-Go "temporarily" on mounting cost pressures and poor business outlook.
One-Two-Go is one of the three no-frills carriers in Thailand, all of which are struggling with fuel prices that have doubled in the past year to more than US$170 a barrel.
Nok Airlines, 39% owned by Thai Airways International, has been bleeding money but won a reprieve from shareholders to continue flying after the management committed to a rehabilitation package. This included lopping services, halving the fleet and cutting senior staff salaries. The carrier hopes to return to a break-even point over the next six months then turn a profit.
Meanwhile, Thai AirAsia is forgoing profit to keep seats filled. While it could be in the red again this year, chief executive Tassapon Bijleveld says he hopes its losses will be less than those of last year.
Udom's plans to suspend One-Two-Go was also influenced by a sense of betrayal from his two rivals, who a few weeks ago agreed to adopt a survival package but failed to follow through, says the Bangkok Post. It had been agreed that the trio would avoid price-cutting while increasing fuel surcharges, raising fares, cutting capacity and dropping low-traffic routes.
Udom said domestic fares needed to go up by 30%, and fuel surcharges would need to increase to better reflect prices. ''In this kind of environment, anyone can go (bust) any time,'' he said.
One-Two-Go has cut frequencies on several routes, with Bangkok-Chiang Mai and Bangkok-Phuket flights down to 21 a week from 28, Bangkok-Hat Yai halved to 7 a week, and services to Chiang Rai and Nakhon Si Thammarat cut from 7 to 2 a week.
While not ruling out retrenchments, Udom said he was considering the futures of the carrier's 700 employees in the case of a shutdown. Their options could include severance pay, leave without pay or training courses.
But he said the closure of One-Two-Go, which started flying in December 2003, might not be permanent. ''If the situation improves... we could be airborne again''.
Udom insisted that the parent carrier, Orient Thai Airlines, would keep flying, with chartered services and scheduled flights to Hong Kong and Incheon.
Orient Thai this year branched out into the freight arena by setting up Thailand's first dedicated cargo carrier, Orient Thai Cargo, using two used Boeing 747-200 acquired from Japan Airlines. It has also wet leased an aircraft to Sri Lankan.
Boy dies in Internet cafe after 2 hours of online gaming
The Nation reports that a boy died behind a computer keyboard while playing a popular online music game inside an internet cafe in Hua Mark area, Bangkok, Thailand on Thursday, police said.
The unidentified boy, believed to be about 15 years old, was found dead nearly two hours after paying for service to use the computer at 1:40 pm.
Sarawut Khamjanya, 26, the caretaker of the shop, told police that he saw the boy appearing to be asleep when the two-hour service he paid for was running out, so he alerted the boy that his time had run out but the boy just stared at the ceiling and said nothing.
He checked and found the boy was not breathing so he ran out to alert police at a nearby police booth near the Lam Salee Intersection.
The unidentified boy, believed to be about 15 years old, was found dead nearly two hours after paying for service to use the computer at 1:40 pm.
Sarawut Khamjanya, 26, the caretaker of the shop, told police that he saw the boy appearing to be asleep when the two-hour service he paid for was running out, so he alerted the boy that his time had run out but the boy just stared at the ceiling and said nothing.
He checked and found the boy was not breathing so he ran out to alert police at a nearby police booth near the Lam Salee Intersection.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Bangkok voted World's Best City 2008 by Travel + Leisure magazine
For the first time, Bangkok (Thailand) has just been chosen as the World's Best City for 2008 in an online poll by Travel + Leisure magazine, winning over last year's winners Florence (Italy) and Bali (Indonesia). Bangkok moved up from its third place ranking in 2007 to top the list for 2008 with a score of 87.61. Travel + Leisure is one of the most influential international travel magazines in the world.
Other awards bestowed by Travel + Leisure included the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador as the World’s Best Island for 2008, Singapore Airlines, once again, as the World’s Best Airline, New York City, for the 8th consecutive time, as the Best City in the US, and Singita Sabi Sand, at the Kruger National Park, South Africa, as the World's Top Hotel. Singapore Airlines was voted number one, followed by Emirates, Thai Airways and Cathay Pacific. Last year's number one hotel, the Oberoi Udaivilas in India, fell to number 4 this year. Singita Sabi Sands was voted the number two hotel in 2007.
The result was announced by Editor-in-chief, Nancy Novogrod, of American based Travel and Leisure on Thursday. The results were compiled from votes by magazine subscribers in an Internet poll which went live between January and March 2008. Travel + Leisure will honor the winners on July 24, 2008 in New York City, USA.
As an expat living in Bangkok for almost 20 years it is great news! I've always been in love with Bangkok, and really missed Bangkok when I had to live away from Thailand for almost a decade. During that period when I was away, I visited Bangkok every year for a week or two and kept up with the changes and all that was new here. During all these years Bangkok got cleaner every year and the traffic has also improved as compared to some years ago when Bangkok traffic was at its worst. But still, everyone who's been to Bangkok cannot stop complaining about the traffic here, as it will always be bad. The pollution is also pretty bad but not at its worst.
But overall I think Bangkok is a great city to live in, you can smile at a Thai person here and get a better smile back, as Thailand is called "the land of smiles". These are some of the best things about Bangkok that I really enjoy:
The entire results are listed below :
Top 10 Cities (World) :
1 Bangkok, Thailand 87.61
2 Buenos Aires, Argentina 87.24
3 Cape Town, South Africa 86.59
4 Sydney, Australia 86.49
5 Florence, Italy 86.24
6 Cuzco, Peru 86.15
7 Rome, Italy 85.12
8 New York, US 85.03
9 Istanbul, Turkey 84.61
10 San Francisco, US 84.42
Top 5 Cities (Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific) :
1 Sydney 86.49
2 Melbourne 80.35
3 Queenstown, New Zealand 79.95
4 Perth 77.78
5 Hobart 77.38
Top 10 Cities (Asia) :
1 Bangkok, Thailand 87.61
2 Kyoto, Japan 84.27
3 Chiang Mai, Thailand 84.14
4 Hong Kong 83.69
5 Udaipur, India 83.51
6 Shanghai, China 81.83
7 Siem Reap, Cambodia 81.15
8 Beijing, China 81.05
9 Hanoi, Vietnam 80.87
10 Jaipur, India 80.78
Top 10 Cities (Europe) :
1 Florence, Italy 86.24
2 Rome, Italy 85.12
3 Istanbul, Turkey 84.61
4 Paris, France 82.59
5 Krakow, Poland 82.14
6 Prague, Czech Republic 81.81
7 Venice, Italy 81.74
8 Barcelona, Spain 81.32
9 Vienna, Austria 80.99
10 Salzburg, Austria 80.63
Top 5 Cities (Mexico and Central and South America) :
1 Buenos Aires, Argentina 87.24
2 Cuzco, Peru 86.15
3 San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 82.19
4 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 80.15
5 Antigua, Guatemala 79.92
Top 10 Cities (Africa and the Middle East) :
1 Cape Town 86.59
2 Jerusalem 84.39
3 Fez, Morocco 80.77
4 Marrakesh, Morocco 80.46
5 Cairo 80.23
6 Dubai 78.86
7 Tel Aviv 78.60
8 Amman 74.52
9 Tunis 71.93
10 Alexandria 70.72
Top 10 Islands (World) :
1 Galapagos Islands 87.64
2 Bali 86.32
3 Maui 86.09
4 Kauai 85.87
5 Tasmania 85.00
6 Easter Island 84.78
7 Hawaii 84.66
8 Santorini 84.52
9 Great Barrier Reef Islands 84.42
10 Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia 83.82
Top 3 Islands (Asia) :
1 Bali, Indonesia 86.32
2 Phuket, Thailand 82.64
3 Penang, Malaysia 81.67
Top 5 Islands (Europe) :
1 Santorini, Greece 84.52
2 Dalmatian Islands, Croatia 83.50
3 Sicily, Italy 82.92
4 Ischia, Italy 82.41
5 Cyclades, Greece (Santorini rated separately) 82.40
Top 3 Islands (Mexico and Central and South America) :
1 Galapagos Islands 87.64
2 Easter Island, Chile 84.78
3 Ambergris Cay, Belize 78.08
Top 20 Hotel Spas :
1 Wickaninnish Inn Tofino, Vancouver Island, Canada 92.66
2 Four Seasons Resort, Chiang Mai, Thailand 92.19
3 Lodge at Pebble Beach, California, US 90.94
4 Four Seasons Resort, Nevis, US 90.88
5 Maroma Resort & Spa Riviera, Maya, Mexico 90.79
6 Esperanza Resort, Los Cabos, Mexico 90.63
7 Auberge du Soleil Rutherford, California, US 90.37
8 Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, France 90.28
9 Camelback Inn, A JW Marriott Resort & Spa Scottsdale, Arizona, US 90.14
10 Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 90.10
11 Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa, Maui, US 89.66
12 The Oriental, Bangkok, Thailand 89.58
13 Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa Asheville, North Carolina, US 89.51
14 One & Only Ocean Club Paradise Island, Bahamas 89.47
15 Four Seasons Hotel, Las Vegas, US 89.42
16 Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, US 88.75
17 The Peninsula, Chicago, US 88.64
18 Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch Beaver Creek, Colorado, US 88.62
19 Hotel del Coronado, San Diego, US 88.16
20 American Club Kohler, Wisconsin, US 87.99
Other awards bestowed by Travel + Leisure included the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador as the World’s Best Island for 2008, Singapore Airlines, once again, as the World’s Best Airline, New York City, for the 8th consecutive time, as the Best City in the US, and Singita Sabi Sand, at the Kruger National Park, South Africa, as the World's Top Hotel. Singapore Airlines was voted number one, followed by Emirates, Thai Airways and Cathay Pacific. Last year's number one hotel, the Oberoi Udaivilas in India, fell to number 4 this year. Singita Sabi Sands was voted the number two hotel in 2007.
The result was announced by Editor-in-chief, Nancy Novogrod, of American based Travel and Leisure on Thursday. The results were compiled from votes by magazine subscribers in an Internet poll which went live between January and March 2008. Travel + Leisure will honor the winners on July 24, 2008 in New York City, USA.
As an expat living in Bangkok for almost 20 years it is great news! I've always been in love with Bangkok, and really missed Bangkok when I had to live away from Thailand for almost a decade. During that period when I was away, I visited Bangkok every year for a week or two and kept up with the changes and all that was new here. During all these years Bangkok got cleaner every year and the traffic has also improved as compared to some years ago when Bangkok traffic was at its worst. But still, everyone who's been to Bangkok cannot stop complaining about the traffic here, as it will always be bad. The pollution is also pretty bad but not at its worst.
But overall I think Bangkok is a great city to live in, you can smile at a Thai person here and get a better smile back, as Thailand is called "the land of smiles". These are some of the best things about Bangkok that I really enjoy:
- The Thai food and Thai sweets
- The smell of flowers, jasmine garlands and food from the vendors
- The delicious meatballs on a stick be it chicken, pork, fish, shrimp, or octopus
- Tuk-tuks (motorized autorickshaws) zooming past you loaded with farangs (tourists)
- Soft drinks, coffee or tea served with ice cubes in a plastic bag tied with a rubber band
- Motorized vendor carts with food/toys/stickers/broomsticks that zip along major roads
- The sight of robed Buddhist monks receiving alms early in the morning
- Elephants with a tail light roaming the city streets at night with their mahouts, begging from tourists
- Pantip plaza, shopping malls, authentic brand names as well as fake brand name clothes, apparel, watches, DVDs, electronics, computers, and almost everything else
- Wet & wild people splashing water at passing vehicles during Songkran water festival
- Unique Thai Buddhist temples
- Riding a long tailed boat down Bangkok's canals (khlong)
- Kathoeys (ladyboys) surgically altered to perfection, looking better than most women
- Street dogs sleeping wherever they like
- Pretty Thai girls riding up the escalators on malls and skytrains
- And the list just goes on...
The entire results are listed below :
Top 10 Cities (World) :
1 Bangkok, Thailand 87.61
2 Buenos Aires, Argentina 87.24
3 Cape Town, South Africa 86.59
4 Sydney, Australia 86.49
5 Florence, Italy 86.24
6 Cuzco, Peru 86.15
7 Rome, Italy 85.12
8 New York, US 85.03
9 Istanbul, Turkey 84.61
10 San Francisco, US 84.42
Top 5 Cities (Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific) :
1 Sydney 86.49
2 Melbourne 80.35
3 Queenstown, New Zealand 79.95
4 Perth 77.78
5 Hobart 77.38
Top 10 Cities (Asia) :
1 Bangkok, Thailand 87.61
2 Kyoto, Japan 84.27
3 Chiang Mai, Thailand 84.14
4 Hong Kong 83.69
5 Udaipur, India 83.51
6 Shanghai, China 81.83
7 Siem Reap, Cambodia 81.15
8 Beijing, China 81.05
9 Hanoi, Vietnam 80.87
10 Jaipur, India 80.78
Top 10 Cities (Europe) :
1 Florence, Italy 86.24
2 Rome, Italy 85.12
3 Istanbul, Turkey 84.61
4 Paris, France 82.59
5 Krakow, Poland 82.14
6 Prague, Czech Republic 81.81
7 Venice, Italy 81.74
8 Barcelona, Spain 81.32
9 Vienna, Austria 80.99
10 Salzburg, Austria 80.63
Top 5 Cities (Mexico and Central and South America) :
1 Buenos Aires, Argentina 87.24
2 Cuzco, Peru 86.15
3 San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 82.19
4 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 80.15
5 Antigua, Guatemala 79.92
Top 10 Cities (Africa and the Middle East) :
1 Cape Town 86.59
2 Jerusalem 84.39
3 Fez, Morocco 80.77
4 Marrakesh, Morocco 80.46
5 Cairo 80.23
6 Dubai 78.86
7 Tel Aviv 78.60
8 Amman 74.52
9 Tunis 71.93
10 Alexandria 70.72
Top 10 Islands (World) :
1 Galapagos Islands 87.64
2 Bali 86.32
3 Maui 86.09
4 Kauai 85.87
5 Tasmania 85.00
6 Easter Island 84.78
7 Hawaii 84.66
8 Santorini 84.52
9 Great Barrier Reef Islands 84.42
10 Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia 83.82
Top 3 Islands (Asia) :
1 Bali, Indonesia 86.32
2 Phuket, Thailand 82.64
3 Penang, Malaysia 81.67
Top 5 Islands (Europe) :
1 Santorini, Greece 84.52
2 Dalmatian Islands, Croatia 83.50
3 Sicily, Italy 82.92
4 Ischia, Italy 82.41
5 Cyclades, Greece (Santorini rated separately) 82.40
Top 3 Islands (Mexico and Central and South America) :
1 Galapagos Islands 87.64
2 Easter Island, Chile 84.78
3 Ambergris Cay, Belize 78.08
Top 20 Hotel Spas :
1 Wickaninnish Inn Tofino, Vancouver Island, Canada 92.66
2 Four Seasons Resort, Chiang Mai, Thailand 92.19
3 Lodge at Pebble Beach, California, US 90.94
4 Four Seasons Resort, Nevis, US 90.88
5 Maroma Resort & Spa Riviera, Maya, Mexico 90.79
6 Esperanza Resort, Los Cabos, Mexico 90.63
7 Auberge du Soleil Rutherford, California, US 90.37
8 Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, France 90.28
9 Camelback Inn, A JW Marriott Resort & Spa Scottsdale, Arizona, US 90.14
10 Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 90.10
11 Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa, Maui, US 89.66
12 The Oriental, Bangkok, Thailand 89.58
13 Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa Asheville, North Carolina, US 89.51
14 One & Only Ocean Club Paradise Island, Bahamas 89.47
15 Four Seasons Hotel, Las Vegas, US 89.42
16 Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, US 88.75
17 The Peninsula, Chicago, US 88.64
18 Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch Beaver Creek, Colorado, US 88.62
19 Hotel del Coronado, San Diego, US 88.16
20 American Club Kohler, Wisconsin, US 87.99
Monday, July 14, 2008
Thailand's beauty queen wins best national costume award
Gavintra Photijak, Thailand's beauty queen, won the best national costume award in the Miss Universe 2008 beauty pageant in Vietnam Monday morning.
The Thai beauty queen is aged 21 years, with a height of 5'10".
Seen in the photo below, she wore an ancient Thai warrior costume, with a Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) head band called Mongkol.
In the photo below she is dressed in an evening gown
In the photo below she is dressed in a swimsuit
The Thai beauty queen is aged 21 years, with a height of 5'10".
Seen in the photo below, she wore an ancient Thai warrior costume, with a Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) head band called Mongkol.
In the photo below she is dressed in an evening gown
In the photo below she is dressed in a swimsuit
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Speedo unveils Fastskin LZR RACER Swimsuit - The World's Fastest Swim suit
Speedo, the world's leading swimwear brand, unveiled the special Olympic edition Team USA LZR ("Laser") RACER suit.
Only 1,000 of these limited edition swim suits will be available and they will be priced at $600, $50 more than the basic edition. That is pretty expensive!
Michael Phelps poses with the new Fastskin LZR Racer swimsuit in the photo below:
The new Fastskin LZR Racer is the latest iteration of the Fastskin series of swim suits. Made from an ultra lightweight, low drag, water repellent, and fast-drying fabric unique to Speedo called LZR Pulse, the LZR Racer suit is the world's first fully bonded competition swimsuit. The suit is ultrasonically welded which gives the effect of no seams at all. Ultra low drag LZR panels are laminated onto the base fabric to create a Hydro Form Compression System helping to compress the entire swimmer's body into a more streamlined shape and enabling them to cut through the water with more power and agility.
The LZR Racer suit has undergone tests in wind tunnels used by NASA to test the aerodynamic qualities of space shuttles.
These claims are impressive! The world's greatest swimmers continue to shatter the world records with the controversial new swim suit made by Speedo. In fact, at the time of writing this article, 46 world records have been smashed! The suit looks fast, and with swimmers like Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Natalie Coughlin, Leisel Jones, Park Tae-Hwan, and Kate Ziegler in them, I bet they will be the fastest swimsuits on the planet in Beijing during the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Some quotes from the Team US swimmers:
Michael Phelps: "When I hit the water, I feel like a rocket"
Ryan Lochte: "Putting on the suit kind of makes you feel like a super hero"
Grant Hackett: "It's the best yet"
Natalie Coughlin: "It feels incredible"
Libby Trickett: "It feels like I'm swimming downhill"
Seen in the photo below, the Thai Olympic swimmer Natthanan Jankrajang poses in a Speedo Fastskin LZR Racer suit. The Nation newspaper reports that the swimsuit has helped her improve her 25m freestyle timing from 12 to 11.4 seconds.
Speedo worked with legendary design house Comme des Garcons to develop a one-of-kind look for Team USA featuring the red, white and blue of the American flag. The design by visionary founder of Comme des Garcons, Rei Kawakubo, joins the distinctive metallic silver calligraphy that already appears on the suit. The calligraphy, painted by celebrated artist Inoue Yu-ichi, means 'kokoro' representing the heart, spirit and mind.
So what is Surface Drag?
Skin friction or surface drag is the force that tends to slow a swimmer down by means of the water passing along the surface of the suit and/or skin. As the characteristics of the water can't be changed the solution for the swimmer is to make the suit/skin as smooth as possible. Essentially the rougher the surface the more likely it is to 'grab' onto the water that is moving by. Greater body coverage with low frictional materials that don't restrict movement is required to reduce skin friction drag.
Some facts about the Speedo LZR RACER swimsuit:
- The Speedo LZR RACER suit has 10% less passive drag than Speedo's FASTSKIN FSII launched in 2004 and 5%* less passive drag than FASTSKIN FS-PRO (which has already resulted in 21 world records broken since its launch at the FINA Worlds Championships at Melbourne in March 2007).
- Strategically placed LZR Panels reduce skin friction drag by a massive 24% in comparison to Speedo's previous market-leading material, FASTSKIN - and an enormous 38% less drag than ordinary Nylon Lycra.
- The 100% bonded seams provide 6% less skin friction drag than a conventionally stitched or woven seam.
- The Speedo LZR RACER makes it easier to swim faster. In tests comparing LZR-RACER and training swimwear, Swimmers have up to 5% more efficiency in terms of their Oxygen intake - therefore requiring less effort for a given speed of swimming.
Only 1,000 of these limited edition swim suits will be available and they will be priced at $600, $50 more than the basic edition. That is pretty expensive!
Michael Phelps poses with the new Fastskin LZR Racer swimsuit in the photo below:
The new Fastskin LZR Racer is the latest iteration of the Fastskin series of swim suits. Made from an ultra lightweight, low drag, water repellent, and fast-drying fabric unique to Speedo called LZR Pulse, the LZR Racer suit is the world's first fully bonded competition swimsuit. The suit is ultrasonically welded which gives the effect of no seams at all. Ultra low drag LZR panels are laminated onto the base fabric to create a Hydro Form Compression System helping to compress the entire swimmer's body into a more streamlined shape and enabling them to cut through the water with more power and agility.
The LZR Racer suit has undergone tests in wind tunnels used by NASA to test the aerodynamic qualities of space shuttles.
These claims are impressive! The world's greatest swimmers continue to shatter the world records with the controversial new swim suit made by Speedo. In fact, at the time of writing this article, 46 world records have been smashed! The suit looks fast, and with swimmers like Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Natalie Coughlin, Leisel Jones, Park Tae-Hwan, and Kate Ziegler in them, I bet they will be the fastest swimsuits on the planet in Beijing during the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Some quotes from the Team US swimmers:
Michael Phelps: "When I hit the water, I feel like a rocket"
Ryan Lochte: "Putting on the suit kind of makes you feel like a super hero"
Grant Hackett: "It's the best yet"
Natalie Coughlin: "It feels incredible"
Libby Trickett: "It feels like I'm swimming downhill"
Seen in the photo below, the Thai Olympic swimmer Natthanan Jankrajang poses in a Speedo Fastskin LZR Racer suit. The Nation newspaper reports that the swimsuit has helped her improve her 25m freestyle timing from 12 to 11.4 seconds.
Speedo worked with legendary design house Comme des Garcons to develop a one-of-kind look for Team USA featuring the red, white and blue of the American flag. The design by visionary founder of Comme des Garcons, Rei Kawakubo, joins the distinctive metallic silver calligraphy that already appears on the suit. The calligraphy, painted by celebrated artist Inoue Yu-ichi, means 'kokoro' representing the heart, spirit and mind.
So what is Surface Drag?
Skin friction or surface drag is the force that tends to slow a swimmer down by means of the water passing along the surface of the suit and/or skin. As the characteristics of the water can't be changed the solution for the swimmer is to make the suit/skin as smooth as possible. Essentially the rougher the surface the more likely it is to 'grab' onto the water that is moving by. Greater body coverage with low frictional materials that don't restrict movement is required to reduce skin friction drag.
Some facts about the Speedo LZR RACER swimsuit:
- The Speedo LZR RACER suit has 10% less passive drag than Speedo's FASTSKIN FSII launched in 2004 and 5%* less passive drag than FASTSKIN FS-PRO (which has already resulted in 21 world records broken since its launch at the FINA Worlds Championships at Melbourne in March 2007).
- Strategically placed LZR Panels reduce skin friction drag by a massive 24% in comparison to Speedo's previous market-leading material, FASTSKIN - and an enormous 38% less drag than ordinary Nylon Lycra.
- The 100% bonded seams provide 6% less skin friction drag than a conventionally stitched or woven seam.
- The Speedo LZR RACER makes it easier to swim faster. In tests comparing LZR-RACER and training swimwear, Swimmers have up to 5% more efficiency in terms of their Oxygen intake - therefore requiring less effort for a given speed of swimming.
Angelina Jolie gives birth to Brad Pitt's twins - a boy & a girl!
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie celebrate birth of the Brangelina twins at a hospital in the south of France late Saturday night. Actress Jolie, 33, had the twins by Caesarean section at the Lenval hospital on the Promenade des Anglais waterfront drive in Nice, with partner Pitt, 44, the babies’ father, believed to be by Jolie's side for the births. They are dubbed the golden couple of Hollywood and this is the latest chapter in a story that has transfixed celebrity watchers since the couple became an item when they met while filming "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" in 2005.
The newly arrived girl and boy, named Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon, mean the couple now have a total of 6 children. Knox weighed 5.03 lbs, and Vivienne 5 lbs. Vivienne Marcheline may have been named after Jolie's mother, the actress Marcheline Bertrand, who died in January last year after a seven-and-a-half year battle with cancer.
The couple, who are among the highest paid stars in Hollywood, commanding 10-20 million dollars a film - share three adopted kids and three birth children, a multicultural family with multiple homes that celebrates the traditions of the birth-countries of all their offspring.
Exclusive rights to the first photographs of the babies have been sold for $11 million to an unnamed US magazine, reported the newspaper Nice Matin, which added that the couple intend to give the money to charity. After the couple’s first child, Shiloh, was born in Namibia in 2006, worldwide photographic rights were sold to People Magazine for between $5-7 million.
The newly arrived girl and boy, named Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon, mean the couple now have a total of 6 children. Knox weighed 5.03 lbs, and Vivienne 5 lbs. Vivienne Marcheline may have been named after Jolie's mother, the actress Marcheline Bertrand, who died in January last year after a seven-and-a-half year battle with cancer.
The couple, who are among the highest paid stars in Hollywood, commanding 10-20 million dollars a film - share three adopted kids and three birth children, a multicultural family with multiple homes that celebrates the traditions of the birth-countries of all their offspring.
Exclusive rights to the first photographs of the babies have been sold for $11 million to an unnamed US magazine, reported the newspaper Nice Matin, which added that the couple intend to give the money to charity. After the couple’s first child, Shiloh, was born in Namibia in 2006, worldwide photographic rights were sold to People Magazine for between $5-7 million.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
TOT launches TOT Netcall VOIP service
TOT Thailand launches TOT netcall, an internet softphone-based calling service, with a promotion which includes 30 minutes worth of free calls for 1 month until Dec 31, 2008. You can call 16 countries to their fixed land line numbers at 1 Baht per minute (exclusive of taxes).
Another promotion called TOT Prepaid starts from 17 satang per minute for domestic calls, available from now until July 31, 2008.
Click on the image below to see a larger view of the list of 16 countries included in the promotion.
Another promotion called TOT Prepaid starts from 17 satang per minute for domestic calls, available from now until July 31, 2008.
Click on the image below to see a larger view of the list of 16 countries included in the promotion.
Angelina Jolie flashes her tattoos in Wanted
Actress Angelina Jolie flashes her back to display her tattoos in a scene from the movie Wanted. She got the tiger tattoo on her lower back by a well-known local Thai tattoo artist named Sompong Kanphai during her visit to Bangkok on July 8, 2004, just after her 2 day visit to Cambodia.
In the photo below Angelina Jolie flashes her tattoos in a scene from Wanted.
The tattoo design features a snarling Bengal tiger baring its teeth and claws which represents good luck, power and good fortune. Jolie spent more than 2 hours in getting the 8 inch wide by 12 inch long tiger tattooed on her lower back, where the skin is usually thicker. Sompong used the traditional method of flicking a long ink filled needle into the surface of the skin.
It was Angelina's second tattoo by artist Somphong Kanphai, who in April 2003 applied a Khmer tattoo featuring ancient script from Cambodia, meant to ward off bad luck. Sompong reportedly chanted an ancient hymn to bless the latest tiger tattoo so that its bearer would be rich and filled with power. Jolie flew back to Bangkok unannounced on a private jet from Cambodia with her Cambodian son Maddox, especially to get the latest tattoo because the first one made by the same artist made her feel that her life was filled with luck.
Below is a photo of the Cambodian Khmer tattoo
In the photo below Angelina Jolie flashes her tattoos in a scene from Wanted.
The tattoo design features a snarling Bengal tiger baring its teeth and claws which represents good luck, power and good fortune. Jolie spent more than 2 hours in getting the 8 inch wide by 12 inch long tiger tattooed on her lower back, where the skin is usually thicker. Sompong used the traditional method of flicking a long ink filled needle into the surface of the skin.
It was Angelina's second tattoo by artist Somphong Kanphai, who in April 2003 applied a Khmer tattoo featuring ancient script from Cambodia, meant to ward off bad luck. Sompong reportedly chanted an ancient hymn to bless the latest tiger tattoo so that its bearer would be rich and filled with power. Jolie flew back to Bangkok unannounced on a private jet from Cambodia with her Cambodian son Maddox, especially to get the latest tattoo because the first one made by the same artist made her feel that her life was filled with luck.
Below is a photo of the Cambodian Khmer tattoo
Siam Paragon Electronica Brochure
Below is the brochure for the Siam Paragon Electronica Showcase 2008 which is being held at Siam Paragon, 5th floor, Royal Paragon Hall 1-3 from July 3-13, 2008.
Click on the images below for a much larger picture.
Click on the images below for a much larger picture.
Tracking my weight loss with Gyminee
I began taking my weight loss & fitness more seriously since mid 2007, and I've been using this new social network website called Gyminee which focuses on health and fitness. Gyminee allows you to keep track and visualize your fitness progress and goals, workouts, monitor your diet, and it has lots of workout programs to follow (videos included) and share with your friends.
Gyminee also allows you to track your weight, waist size, nutrition, calories, protein intake, and much more. You can create your own workout plan or even join another member's workout plan. You can search for other members and add them as your Gym Buddies, or you can even join a Gyminee Group for extra motivation! It has a Locker Room where you can set and view your goals and progress visually in a colorful graph. It also has a cool iPhone/iPod Touch web application which you can use from your Touch to add your workout log through WiFi access.
The best thing about all this is that it is free! But it also has a pro version where you get more features like exporting your workout calendar to Google Calendar and more statistics and tools.
Since day one I've been using it frequently to enter my weight loss goal, workouts and favorite foods that I eat regularly which includes Thai Som Tam Salad. My favorite feature is the Body Tracker which displays a graph of my weight loss progress over a period of time, and also the Exercise Status ratings on the Locker Room which reminds me about the number of days I have exercised in the current week. I have lost almost 5 kgs since I started using Gyminee regularly from Jan 2008.
If you plan to get fit, lose weight, and get in shape I highly recommend Gyminee to stay motivated, have fun and get fit!
Gyminee also allows you to track your weight, waist size, nutrition, calories, protein intake, and much more. You can create your own workout plan or even join another member's workout plan. You can search for other members and add them as your Gym Buddies, or you can even join a Gyminee Group for extra motivation! It has a Locker Room where you can set and view your goals and progress visually in a colorful graph. It also has a cool iPhone/iPod Touch web application which you can use from your Touch to add your workout log through WiFi access.
The best thing about all this is that it is free! But it also has a pro version where you get more features like exporting your workout calendar to Google Calendar and more statistics and tools.
Since day one I've been using it frequently to enter my weight loss goal, workouts and favorite foods that I eat regularly which includes Thai Som Tam Salad. My favorite feature is the Body Tracker which displays a graph of my weight loss progress over a period of time, and also the Exercise Status ratings on the Locker Room which reminds me about the number of days I have exercised in the current week. I have lost almost 5 kgs since I started using Gyminee regularly from Jan 2008.
If you plan to get fit, lose weight, and get in shape I highly recommend Gyminee to stay motivated, have fun and get fit!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
KFC adds roasted chicken burger to menu
KFC Thailand, a division of Yum Restaurants International Thailand, has introduced a new roasted chicken burger item to its menu since 4th July, 2008.
The roasted chicken burger with soft bread is topped with cheese sauce, mayonnaise, and fresh vegetables. The burger's Thai price is 55 Baht. Looks pretty yummy! I think I better grab the phone now and dial KFC 1150 to try out this new burger item.
The roasted chicken burger with soft bread is topped with cheese sauce, mayonnaise, and fresh vegetables. The burger's Thai price is 55 Baht. Looks pretty yummy! I think I better grab the phone now and dial KFC 1150 to try out this new burger item.
KFC plans to introduce a number of burgers offering more meat varieties. With the introduction of the new item, KFC Thailand expects burgers to account for 20% of its total sales by the end of 2008. Currently, burgers make up for only 5% of the restaurant chain's total sales.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Thai woman's laugh hits 110 decibels at Ripley's International Laughing Contest, Pattaya
Jittarat Wongsomboon of Thailand wins the "Ripley's International Laughing Contest: World's Loudest, Longest and Funniest" in the Thai resort town of Pattaya on July 05, 2008. The 55 year old Jittarat won the contest on Saturday after laughing continuously for 12 minutes and 26 seconds and hit a peak volume of 110 decibels!
The contest was organized by Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum, Pattaya and the final round was held at the Royal Garden Plaza, Pattaya. She wins 100,000 Baht in cash, plus a gold certificate.
Below is a photo of the banner of Ripley's International Laughing Contest
In the photo below, Kowit Sripong, 32, another contestant in the Ripley's International Laughing Contest jokes with journalists.
The contest was organized by Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum, Pattaya and the final round was held at the Royal Garden Plaza, Pattaya. She wins 100,000 Baht in cash, plus a gold certificate.
Below is a photo of the banner of Ripley's International Laughing Contest
In the photo below, Kowit Sripong, 32, another contestant in the Ripley's International Laughing Contest jokes with journalists.
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